Acts 25:23-26

Revised Geneva Translation

²³ And the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come (with great pomp) and had entered into the Common Hall with the chief captains and chief men of the city, Paul was brought forth at Festus’ commandment.

²⁴ And Festus said, “King Agrippa, and all men who are present with us, you see this man about whom all the multitude of the Jews have petitioned me (both at Jerusalem and here) crying that he ought not to live any longer.

²⁵ “But, I have found nothing he has done to be worthy of death. And seeing that he has appealed to Augustus, I have decided to send him.

²⁶ “I have no certain thing to write to my lord concerning him. Therefore, I have brought him forth to you, and especially to you, King Agrippa, so that after examination, I might have something to write.

²⁷ “For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner and not signify the charges against him.”

26 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” So, Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself.

² “I consider myself happy, King Agrippa. Because today I shall answer before you all the things of which I am accused by the Jews;

³ “especially because you have knowledge of all customs and questions which are among the Jews. Therefore, I beg you to hear me patiently.

⁴ “Regarding my life from childhood, all the Jews know that from the beginning it was among my own nation at Jerusalem,

⁵ “They knew me from the beginning and could testify (if they wished) that according to the straightest sect of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee.

⁶ “And now I stand accused of hope in the promise made by God to our Fathers;

⁷ “to which our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God day and night, hope to come. For this hope’s sake, O King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews.

⁸ “Why should it be thought an incredible thing by you that God should raise the dead again?

⁹ “Truly, I also thought to myself that I ought to do many things against the Name of Jesus of Nazareth;

¹⁰ “which I also did in Jerusalem. For I shut up many of the saints in prison, having received authority from the chief priests. And when they were put to death, I gave sentence.

¹¹ “And I punished them throughout all the synagogues and compelled them to blaspheme. And being extremely enraged against them, I persecuted them, even to strange cities.

¹² “At which time, even as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,

¹³ (at midday, O King) I saw on the way a light from Heaven, surpassing the brightness of the Sun. It shined all around me and those who went with me.

¹⁴ “So, when we had all fallen to the Earth, I heard a voice speaking to me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick against goads.’

¹⁵ “Then I said, ‘Who are You, Lord? And he said, ‘I am Jesus, Whom you persecute.

¹⁶ ‘But rise and stand up on your feet. For I have appeared to you for this purpose: to appoint you as a minister and a witness, both of the things which you have seen and of the things in which I will appear to you;

¹⁷ ‘I will deliver you from this people, and from the Gentiles to whom now I send you,

¹⁸ ‘to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’

¹⁹ “So, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.

²⁰ “But I declared first to those of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea; and then to the Gentiles, so that they would repent and turn to God, and do the works of repentance.

²¹ “For this reason the Jews arrested me in the Temple and planned to kill me.

²² “Nevertheless, I obtained the help of God, and continue to this day, witnessing to both small and great, saying no other things than those which the Prophets and Moses said would come.

²³ “That is, that Christ should suffer. And that He would be the first Who would rise from the dead, and would show light to this people, and to the Gentiles.”